STORAGE DEVICES: EVOLUTION, TYPES, EXAMPLES - TECHNOLOGY - 2025

The storage devices or digital storage media refers to any hardware capable of containing computer data, either temporarily or permanently shape. They are used to store, transport and extract data files.

They allow the user to store large amounts of data in a relatively small physical space, making it easy to share that information with others. These devices are capable of retaining the data temporarily or permanently.

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There are many ways to use data storage media. For example, computers generally depend on information storage to function.

Storage devices can also be used to back up relevant information. Storing digital data can lead to reliability and durability issues. Therefore, it is prudent as a prevention to make independent copies of the information.

Some storage devices are also portable, which means that they can be used to transfer data from one computer to another.

Importance in computers

They are one of the main elements of all computer equipment. They store practically all the applications and data on a computer, except for the firmware. According to the type of device involved, they are available in different forms.

For example, a common computer has several storage devices, such as hard disk, cache memory, and RAM. You may also have externally connected USB drives and optical disc drives.

Although a computer can work without storage devices, you can view information only if it is connected to another computer that has the storage capacity. Even an activity like surfing the Internet requires the information to be stored on the computer.

A computer will not be able to remember or save any information or settings without a storage device, and would therefore be considered a dumb terminal.

As computers advance, storage devices do too, along with increased space requirements, speed, and portability.

Evolution from the first storage devices

- Perforated cards

This was the first effort to store data on a machine. They were used to communicate information to a computer before computers were developed.

Hollerith developed a punch card data processing system for the 1890 United States Census.

By 1950, they had already become an integral part of the computer industry. They were used until the 1980s.

- Magnetic storage

Magnetic tapes

The first tape drive introduced by Remington Rand in 1951 was only capable of storing 224Kb of data. In 1965, Mohawk Data Sciences offered a magnetic tape encoder.

Later tape drives were capable of storing large amounts of data. For example, the IBM TS1155 tape drive released in 2017 is capable of storing 15Tb.

Hard drives

IBM pushed magnetic disk storage. They invented both the floppy drive and the hard drive.

In 1956 it released the first hard drive to be used in the RAMAC 305 system, with a storage capacity of 5Mb and a cost of $ 50,000.

The first hard drive with a 1 gigabyte storage capacity was also developed by IBM in 1980. It weighed 250 kilograms and cost $ 40,000. Seagate was the first company to introduce a 7200 RPM hard drive in 1992.

8 ″ floppy disks

They were developed by IBM as an alternative to hard drives, which were extremely expensive. The first was introduced in 1971.

This floppy was created for the System / 370 computer. It had a magnetic coating, with a capacity of 1Mb.

5.25 ″ floppy disks

In 1976, Shugart developed a smaller version of the 8 ”floppy disk, as it was too large for a personal computer.

The new 5.25 ”floppy was cheaper to make and could store 160Kb of data. They became extremely popular during the 1980s and were discontinued in the early 1990s.

3.5 ″ floppy disks

Created by IBM in 1984, they became more popular than the 5.25 ”. They were introduced with a capacity of 720Kb, then going to 1.4Mb.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, computers with floppy drives have not been manufactured. They were exchanged for CD-R drives.

- Random access memories (RAM)

Empty tubes

In 1948, Professor Williams developed the first RAM memory to store programming instructions, increasing the speed of the computer.

It used a set of cathode ray tubes, which acted as on / off switches and stored 1024 bits of information.

Magnetic Core Memories

Beginning in 1950 this type of memory was developed. The system used a grid of cables that carried current, with magnets in the shape of a thread that circulated where the cables crossed.

In 1953, MIT developed the first computer to use this technology. Because these memories are faster and more efficient than punch cards, they quickly became popular. However, making them was very difficult and time-consuming.

This memory dominated until the 1970s, when integrated circuits allowed semiconductor memory to become competitive.

Semiconductor memories

In 1966, Intel began selling a semiconductor chip with 2,000 bits of memory. This chip stored data in memory cells.

These cells are made up of miniaturized transistors, which act as on / off switches.

- Optical Discs

In the 1960s, the idea of ​​using light as a mechanism to record and then reproduce music was worked on. Sony ended this project in 1980. This led to CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays.

- Flash drives

They appeared on the market in late 2000. They have no moving parts, but instead combine chips and transistors for maximum functionality. They replaced floppy disks as portable storage.

Types

- Primary storage device

It is used to retain / store data temporarily, while the computer is running. It is also known as main memory or internal memory.

It is internal to the system, being the fastest of the storage devices. They generally keep an instance of all the data and applications currently in process.

The computer obtains and maintains the data and files on the primary storage device until the process is complete or the data is no longer needed.

Random access memory, graphics card memory, and also cache memory are examples of these devices.

Although it has a much lower access time and higher performance, it is more expensive than secondary storage.

The key difference between primary and secondary storage is that it can be accessed directly by the CPU, plus the storage is volatile and non-removable.

- Secondary storage device

Refers to any non-volatile storage device that is internal or external to the computer. Allows permanent storage of data until it is deleted or overwritten.

Alternately referred to as external or secondary memory, and auxiliary storage. It generally allows for the storage of data ranging from a few megabytes to petabytes.

These devices store virtually all the programs and applications stored on a computer, including the operating system, device drivers, applications, and also user data.

Optical storage devices

It is any medium that is read using a laser. The most common types of optical media are Blu-ray, CD, and DVD.

Computers can read and write CDs and DVDs using a CD or DVD writer drive. A Blu-ray is read with a Blu-ray drive.

CDs can store up to 700Mb of data and DVDs can store up to 8.4Gb of data. Blu-ray discs can store up to 50GB of data.

Magnetic storage devices

It is currently one of the most common types of storage used in computers. This class of device can be found mainly on hard drives.

The electromagnetic writing head biases small sections of the hard drive so that they are up or down (on / off) to represent binary digits 1 or 0.

Once the information is written to the hard disk, it is read by the read head, which detects the polarization of each section of the disk to understand the data that was written.

Flash memory devices

They connect to computers with a USB connector, making them a small device, easily removable, and also very portable.

They can be rewritten an unlimited number of times and are not affected by electromagnetic interference.

They have replaced most of the optical and magnetic media as they become cheaper, being the most reliable and efficient solution.

Paper storage devices

For a long time they were used to store information for automatic processing, particularly before personal computers existed.

Information was recorded by punching holes in paper or cardboard and mechanically read to determine whether or not a particular location in the middle had a hole.

Examples of storage devices

- Primary storage

Random access memory

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Device used in computers, usually found on the motherboard. It is volatile, all the information stored in RAM is lost when you turn off the computer.

Read-only memory (ROM)

Non-volatile memory chip whose content cannot be altered. It is used to store startup routines in a computer, for example the BIOS.

Cache

Small volatile memory that gives a computer processor high-speed access to data, storing frequently used programs and data. It is integrated directly into the processor or into the RAM.

VRAM

Also known as dual port memory, VRAM (Video RAM) is commonly used as video memory, increasing the overall speed of the video card.

- Magnetic storage

Magnetic tape

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(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)

A thin, magnetically coated plastic tape that wraps around a wheel and stores data.

It is less expensive than other storage devices, but much slower, because access is sequential.

HDD

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Store data permanently on a computer. It consists of one or more platters, where data is written using a magnetic head, all within a sealed housing.

Floppy disk

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Easy to install, yet very easy to damage, portable device capable of storing and reading data using a head. It comes in different diameters: 3.5 ", 5.25" and 8 ". Unlike the hard drive, the head touches the drive, eventually wearing it down.

SuperDisk

Disk drive introduced by 3M in 1997. It could store 120Mb on a disk the same size as a traditional 1.44Mb floppy disk. Subsequently, it was able to store 240Mb.

Magnetic card

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Rectangular card with an object or magnetic stripe on the outside, which contains data. It can contain information such as the available credit on a credit card, or the access code to enter a room.

Zip floppy

Device developed by Iomega, which works like a standard 1.44Mb floppy drive. What makes it unique is its ability to store up to 100Mb of data.

- Optical storage

CD ROM

Disc containing audio data or software whose memory is read-only. An optical CD-ROM drive is used to read it. These units can play audio CDs and also read data CDs.

CD-R

Recordable compact disc. Information can be written to the disk once and then read many times. Written data cannot be deleted.

DVD + RW

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Recordable DVD drive capable of creating DVD discs. There are many standards for creating DVD discs. The capacity is 4.7 GB, or 9.4 GB for double-sided drives.

DVD-Ram

It differs from a traditional DVD in that the data is stored on concentric tracks, like a hard disk, which allows simultaneous read and write operations.

Blu-ray

Optical disc format developed by thirteen electronics and PC companies. It can store up to 25Gb, and 50Gb on a double layer disk. The disc is the same size as a standard CD.

- Flash memory

USB flash drive

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Portable device the size of a human thumb. It connects to a computer through a USB port.

It has no moving parts, but rather an integrated circuit memory chip used to store data. They vary in sizes from 2Gb to 1Tb.

Memory card

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It is used to store photos, videos, or other data on electronic devices such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, MP3 players, PDAs, cell phones, game consoles, and printers.

Solid State Device (SSD)

It uses sets of integrated circuits as memory to store data permanently, using flash memory. It has faster access times and lower latency than a hard drive.

- Cloud storage

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The "cloud" describes the services provided by a set of remote servers over a network.

It provides a storage capacity, which can be accessed from any device connected to the Internet with a web browser.

- Paper devices

Perforated card

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Common method of data storage used in early computers. Basically, it consisted of a cardboard card with punched holes created by hand or machine.

Perforated tape

It is a long strip of paper in which holes are punched to store data. It was used for much of the 20th century for teleprinter communication.

References

1. Computer Hope (2019). Storage device. Taken from: computerhope.com.
2. Techopedia (2019). Storage Device. Taken from: ceilingpedia.com.
3. Paul Goodman (2019). Computer Basics: 10 Examples of Storage Devices for Digital Data. Turbo Future. Taken from: turbofuture.com.
4. Computer Science (2019). Storage Devices. Taken from: computerscience.gcse.guru.
5. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2019). Computer data storage. Taken from: en.wikipedia.org.
6. Teach Computer Science (2019). Storage Devices. Taken from: teachcomputerscience.com.
7. Keith D. Foote (2017). A Brief History of Data Storage. Dataversity. Taken from: dataversity.net.